The present invention relates to a user interface such as a graphic editing system using voice or a voice application system having a display screen which is mounted on office automation (OA) equipment such as a personal computer, work station, word processor or the like. The form of input is not limited to the voice and may include an input method in which a directly obtained input signal is taken in a system once and a designated input is then settled through a recognition processing. The present invention provides simple means for processing an unintended error at the time of input in an information processing system which has input means in a composite form including a voice input as input means.
The present invention is directed to the processing of an erroneous input in a processing which uses voice input information and another input information in a composite form. The processing for correction of an erroneous input in such a composite input form does not exist in the prior art. Accordingly, an analogous technique concerning an error processing will now be shown using an example of the processing for correction of an erroneous input in the case where voice input means is used for the input of an instruction.
In the conventional apparatus having a plurality of input means consisting of a voice input, the voice input is merely used in lieu of a keyboard input or the like.
An example of a system using voice input means and performing a processing in accordance with the reliability of recognition of speech includes a ticket vending machine installed at the Shinagawa station of JR East Japan Railway Company which uses a speech recognition input and a touch panel input. The ticket vending machine recognizes inputted speech. In the case where the reliability of recognition of a candidate having the first rank of reliability as the result of recognition of the inputted speech is high, a processing is performed based on a recognized candidate. On the other hand, in the case where the reliability of recognition of the candidate having the first rank of reliability as the result of recognition of the inputted speech is low, an actual ticket issuance processing is performed after the candidate having the first rank of reliability and other candidates have been presented to a user so that the correct result of recognition from the presented candidates is selected by the user through a touch panel input or after a correct indication has been inputted by the user again.
The above-mentioned prior art has a problem that the processing of confirmation for the user must be performed or the input must be made again and hence a considerable time is required for the input of information. Further, there is a problem that even in the case where the reliability of recognition of inputted speech is low but the recognition agrees with the user's intention, the user is requested to confirm the result of recognition of inputted speech, that is, the user is forced to perform a troublesome operation.
Also, in the case where inputted speech is recognized erroneously with a high reliability and a processing started on the basis of the inputted speech has been performed, it is not possible to correct that processing or there are required the cancellation of the entire processing and the succeeding input operation which is to be done over again from the beginning.